After Day 3
by Bauerspirit
Summary: What happened in the hours and months after the finale of day 3? This is what could have happened...


24: Alternate Scene

Episode 3.25: "Day 3: 1:00pm – 2:00am"

By

Chris Wright

Based on the television series 24

**24: Alternate Scene – Day 3: 1:00pm - 2:00pm**

Jack paced over to his car quickly, feeling strong emotions rising up inside of him. He threw open the door and moved to start the ignition before stopping suddenly. He put they keys down and took his hands off the steering wheel, the pain of the day suddenly hitting him. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. The tears streamed down his face and he felt the cabin of his SUV shrink to surround him. He pounded on the windows in crying fury, the events of the past few years finally catching up with him. He sobbed uncontrollably with his head bowed, wishing that he could disappear for once and stop inflicting pain on everyone who surrounded him. The world was deathly silent in the peace of the car, and all that Jack could hear were his own muffled sobs. But then his radio crackled into life, bringing him back down to earth.

"Jack?"

Jack didn't answer, still feeling in no shape to talk. But the tears were beginning to clear, thoughts of the job he still had to do coming back. He had stopped shaking, and composed himself to answer.

"Jack, you there?" the man on the end of the radio tried once more.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Can you come back to CTU? We need you help in interrogating some of Saunders' couriers."

"I'll be right there," Jack said, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand. He put the car into gear, and moved out of the lot.

"It'll be OK David," Wayne murmured, staring straight ahead, in a tone that suggested that it certainly wouldn't be.

"We've managed to save face; Keeler will be President after the election and that will be that."

The two brothers didn't dare look at each other, both not wanting to be involved in the other's problems. But all David could think about was that somehow Wayne was responsible for his ex-wife's murder. After all, he was the one who had started all the ill-feeling with Alan Milliken, and the snowball effect that his actions had caused. Now David had lost the Presidency, and everything that came with it. He was going to have to get used to being a private citizen.

"I'm sorry about Julia," David blurted, not really knowing what else to say.

"You don't need to be. I brought this on."

"You can't blame yourself," David said, lying through his teeth, "You didn't know she was going to kill herself."

"I have made a lot of decisions today; all of them the wrong ones."

"No, you…" David said, before being interrupted abruptly.

"Yes! Earlier today I obtained Keeler's playbook and caused you to lose a woman you cared deeply for. Then I let my feelings cause Sherry to get involved in something more dangerous than she knew."

"I brought Sherry into this, not you."

"But I was responsible for her death." Wayne stated flatly, tears forming in his eyes.

"Julia killed her; not you. And it was brought on by her own actions."

David's words shook the emotions that had been locked up inside since he was informed of Sherry's death. Although they were separated, David had always loved her. It had been almost five years since they had been man and wife, but the love that had enveloped them had never disappeared. He may not have liked her very much; but he had always loved her. But now she was dead, and nothing he could say or do would bring her back. The tears that had stayed inside even during the call to his son and daughter now overflowed and ran down his face. Keith and Nicole had cried; they had roared in grief as their father tried desperately to find the right words. They knew that he and their mother had not seen eye to eye for a long time, but that didn't stop them from seeing her from time to time. After she had lost her chance to be first lady, she had become a private citizen who could come and go as she pleased. She saw a lot of her children, much more than David saw of them. But now was when they needed him most, and David intended to be there.

He was broken from his thoughts by the feel of a hand squeezing his knee. He found Wayne leaning over form his side of the limousine, tears also running down his face.

"I'm so sorry David."

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

"We both know that's not true; my plan got Sherry killed and I will never forgive myself."

"Stop it Wayne!" David bellowed in his Presidential voice, startling his brother a little.

Wayne was silent for a second, and then appeared to smile a little, "You know when we were kids I always dreamed of being President…"

"And I always dreamed of being some big-shot basketball hero…" he smiled back, remembering the good old days.

"I never thought that you would be the one to go into politics. But when you did I was so happy for you. You have been a great President, and a great man."

"I've made mistakes…"

"Any mistakes you have made would have been made by any other man. Nobody's perfect."

"Clichéd…" David smiled, "But thank you."

"You did better than I could have done…" Wayne laughed through the tears.

"You would still make a great President Wayne."

"There's not much chance of that now; anyone could push for me being an accessory to murder."

"That won't happen. Part of the deal with Keeler was that this would be over once I resigned. He'll win the election, but only because we don't have anyone to stand up to them at this time. But in four years the Democrats will be back."

"But we won't be."

"You don't know that." David smiled hopefully. He didn't believe his words of course; the chances of David Palmer returning to politics were remote at best. But in his brother he saw an immensely strong person who could do anything; with or without his help. Things would be OK eventually. David turned and stared out of the window at the busy Los Angeles streets, filled with people who stopped in the hope that they would catch a glimpse of their President.

Tony Almeida took a deep breath before being led out onto the expansive CTU floor for the second time that day, drawing the same glances from the shocked staff as before. Less than an hour previous, they had watched as their Director was led into the building in hand-cuffs. There were many stories spreading around; most of them wildly untrue. No-one knew the truth; that Tony had incurred his internment saving the woman he loved from a vicious madman. He had saved Michelle, and for that he didn't care what anyone else said. He walked with his head bowed, not looking at any of the people who now stared at him. But he was forced to look up as he heard a familiar voice calling his name. He looked up to find Jack Bauer rushing in, looking glad that he had caught Tony.

"Wait a second guys, I need to talk to your prisoner," the words caught in his throat, knowing that Tony shouldn't be in this situation. The two Agents stepped aside for a second, giving the two men some privacy. Jack then spoke again, "How you holding up?"

"Well I'm on my way to prison Jack; not too good."

"We're going to get you out of this Tony; I won't rest until you're free."

"Wake up Jack. I'm going to prison for twenty years if I'm lucky; or I could face the death penalty."

"Don't talk like that Tony."

"Why not? I'd rather be realistic than have false hope."  
"I'll testify in your hearing, and I'm sure others will too."

"Who's going to testify for my cause? I could have killed millions with my actions."  
"You did what any other husband would have done Tony. Just like I did when Teri and Kim were under threat. They didn't put me in prison, and I'll make sure they don't put you in either."

"Forget it Jack. Get on with your life."

Jack looked to the floor, not knowing what else to say to his friend. The two Agents, seemingly watching the clock, moved over to interrupt them. Jack stepped aside and allowed them to move Tony slowly away. The bound man turned towards his old friend and spoke the last words.

"Take care of Michelle for me."

Jack nodded wistfully, and suddenly Tony was gone, replaced only by a gruff voice speaking from behind Jack.

"Hey Jack," Brad Hammond said as Jack turned around, "Thanks for coming back in."

Jack grunted, "Its fine."

The two men walked towards holding silently; Brad knowing that he wouldn't be Jack's favorite person.

"Listen Jack…"

"I don't want to hear it," Jack interrupted, "Let's just get this over with."

Brad paused at the door to holding, looking Jack in the eyes and sensing that something was wrong inside the agent. He punched the code into the keypad, and the surveillance side of the holding room opened to reveal Michelle staring at the monitors, close to tears. She turned slowly as though no-one arriving could make her happy but her missing husband. She tried a small smile, but it came out crooked and trembling through the tears that threatened to explode from her puffy eyes. Brad knew that he should have sent Michelle home by now; but ordering her around was useless by now. She turned back and continued to stare at the monitor showing the devastated courier who had been caught before he could release the virus.

"So who is this guy?" Jack asked in a quiet voice, trying to steer the situation away from the sadness that surrounded them.

"The Las Vegas courier for Saunders."

"Why did we bring him here?"

"I asked them to. We've been running this operation today; I wanted us to be the one who questioned him."

"Alright," Jack said flippantly, not really agreeing with Hammond's views. He stepped towards the door and took a deep breath before he entered; trying to put on the usual mask before he questioned the suspect.

"What did Saunders tell you to do when he contacted you this morning?"

"He instructed me to arm the virus and then release it in a public place on further instruction."

"So there was no timer? You waited for a signal?"

"Yes. Saunders didn't want to be tied down to releasing at a certain time."

"Did you have contact with the other couriers?"

"One of them contacted me just before I was arrested and told me that the authorities were closing in. But apart from that, we were told not to make contact with anyone."

"So what do you know about Saunders?"

"Not much."

Jack heard Michelle's choked voice in his ear-piece, indicating that the suspect was lying.

"So he was in charge of the operation that you were fully involved in and you didn't know anything about them?"

"Yes. He was a private person."

Jack turned around and faced the two-way mirror, seeming to Michelle and Hammond like he was staring right at them.

"Did you have any meetings with Stephen Saunders before today?"

"No."

Michelle motioned again that he was lying.

"That's interesting. Because the people who are analyzing your polygraph are telling me that you're a very bad liar."

"I'm telling the truth," the courier said in a trembling and raised voice, pretty much proving that he was lying through his teeth.

Jack smiled a chilling smile and moved to within inches of the man's face, "I don't believe you."

There was a flicker in the courier's eyes and a change seemed to come over him. He smiled an eerie smile, "Well I don't believe you should still be here after what you did to Ryan Chapelle Jack."

Jack grabbed the courier by the collar of his shirt, practically lifting him from his seat. The anger ripples through his body, but Jack couldn't get any words out. He stared into the eyes of this courier and saw the fear that he had made this man feel. This rage that Jack had inside him was what allowed him to do his job without emotion or fear; but that state of mind had allowed him to murder a colleague. In the course of the day, he had been without the heroin his body needed; been to Mexico on a dangerous undercover mission, and watched a woman he had promised freedom to killed; and also chopped off his partner's hand. He had endured five years of hell, and it was rising up inside of him, coming to a head.

Without warning, Jack threw his head forward and struck the courier between the eyes. The resulting noise could have been heard throughout the building, as the hard bone of Jack's skull connected with the bridge of the courier's nose and forehead. His target's head lolled backward and he lapsed into unconsciousness as blood began to flow down his face through the open wound. The adrenaline stopped Jack's head from aching as he turned and marched towards the door. As he got there he ran into Brad as he opened it.

"What the hell was that Jack!" Brad exclaimed, wondering if he had killed the suspect with such a savage blow.  
"I softened him up for you; you can continue," Jack murmured in a flat, alien voice as he pushed past and away from the holding room. Just before he left, he turned and saw Michelle who seemed to completely understand what he had just done. She nodded slightly, and Jack returned it before he was gone.

And Jack didn't stop before he was out of CTU, back in his SUV where he had broken down not so long before. He revisited that, sobbing uncontrollably into his hands for what seemed like forever in the world that had slowed down to a snail's pace.

Tony Almeida watched the door of his prison transport close behind him and shut out the last sunlight of the Los Angeles afternoon and the last view he would have of CTU. He looked down at his shackled hands and tried to fight back the emotion. The only light in the van came from a small, low powered ceiling lamp built into the van roof. He was alone in the back, with only two other Agents accompanying him in the front of the van. He hadn't been considered a flight risk; he had accepted his fate. He had saved the woman he loved, and that was his aim. He couldn't get the image of Michelle's terrified and mortified face as he left her after kissing her goodbye. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could feel were her lips on his, and all his heart and soul wished that he was still there kissing her. Brad Hammond had told him that the least he could expect was twenty years; and Tony was ready to accept that. He looked out of the tiny window and could just make out the welcoming sight of the bright blue Los Angeles sky. He hoped deep down inside that Michelle would be waiting the next time he saw that sky.

**3 Months Later…**

Jack Bauer bounded energetically up the stairs towards the CTU Director's office. He felt completely in the best shape of his life and took the stairs two at a time, looking up at the new Director in anticipation. He had returned to being the Head of Field Ops just over two and a half months before then after taking a short leave to sort his head out. Brad Hammond had understood and even offered to get him help over his heroin addiction. He had taken it reluctantly, but he had been clean ever since and started to enjoy life again. He smiled as he remembered the previous day when he had helped Kim and Chase move into their new home with baby Angela. It had felt right, especially after all the misgivings Jack had had over Chase leaving CTU. He had put in for a job at a private security company and expected to hear from them soon. They were happy, and that was the only thing Jack cared about. Jack reached the door to the Director's office and pushed it open; hoping that this would only be a quick meeting so he could get home.

"You wanted to see me Erin?"

"Yes Jack, have a seat," Erin replied in a quiet ponderous voice.

Jack did as he was told with a little trepidation and sat down across the room from her. He waited for a second while she looked over a folder of papers arranged on the desk in front of her. It seemed to take her an age, time in which Jack shuffled his own papers nervously in wait, but eventually she closed the folder and stood slowly, walking over towards Jack.

"How're you settling in up here?" Jack asked, trying to break the ice.

"It'll take some time," Erin said flatly, "But change always does."

She sat down across from Jack and looked straight at him.

"Well like I said – if there's anything I can do, please just let me know."

Erin looked down at the floor and then around Jack at her surroundings before continuing.

"Jack…I'm removing you as head of Field Ops."

He stared at her in disbelief, letting out a small laugh that wished she would too, "I don't understand. Where do you want me to go?"

She stared him straight in the eyes, and said, "That's up to you."

Jack stared in complete horror and disgust at this new Director who dared to fire him for his job.

"I've decided that you're a liability that I don't want to carry."

Jack looked to the floor and breathed out, trying to control his anger. He looked back up and smiled through the rage, "Please explain to me how I'm a liability,"

"I can look past all the off-book behavior that's been documented over the past five years; though it's been substantial," she said in an almost monotonous voice, breathing out before continuing on what would not be a popular statement, "but the fact that you were addicted to heroin…I can't get past that."

"I incurred that habit in the line of duty. I was maintaining my cover; I came clean about it. And I haven't touched anything since I entered the program."

"That's true and I commend you," Erin smiled slightly, "But it's still vulnerability. And in my judgment, that vulnerability will hurt your performance."

Jack looked to the ground so that Erin couldn't see his severely wounded pride; or the hate that was threatening to explode from him.

"I'm sorry Jack," Erin said in a semi-caring fashion, "I don't tolerate any weaknesses, that's not how I work."

Jack had had enough, and nodded, "Well I can understand that," he whispered, standing to leave the office.

As he walked away, Erin spoke to try and diffuse the situation a little, "I've made several calls, I could help you get a position…"

Jack turned back around, unable to believe the arrogance of this woman. He felt like jumping on her and punching her until she saw sense; felt like throwing the desk that he had once worked on half way across the room. But he didn't. He simply turned, smiled, and said, "I can find my own fucking job Erin. Thank you."

And with that he was gone, done with CTU for good. As he walked quickly down the stairs, he couldn't bring himself to look at anyone. He moved towards the Field Ops department, ready to clear his desk and get the hell out of the place that had caused him so much pain and then spat him out.


End file.
